FYI - it's not about catching viruses - it's about contaminated bleed air - neurotoxins.
This from the BBC website:
Researchers are to travel on passenger and cargo flights to see if cabin air contamination is making travellers and pilots ill.
It follows complaints from pilots and campaigners that pollutants from aircraft engines are reaching cabins.
The research carried out by Cranfield University is being paid for by the UK government.
It says there is a duty under recent legislation to protect the health of airline passengers.
On most aircraft, pressurised air is pumped from the engines, before the combustion process, into the cabin. This is known as "bleed air" and, because it passes through the engine, the concern is that it is picking up substances such as engine oil.
Civil Aviation Authority records suggest what are called "fume events" are reported on one in 2,000 flights. But the problem is the event can be fleeting and difficult to trace.